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Layout for multiple cooks - Critique please

10 years ago

Hi,

We are a multi-generational family. My dad loves to cook and is in the kitchen nonstop. I also cook and had to make things late at night such as yogurt. My mom is in a wheelchair.

We had a kitchen leak pre-Thanksgiving and was forced to gut our entire kitchen and family room. Since I decided to repipe the entire house to prevent any future leaks, I decided to redo the layout. Our old layout had the island in a hexagon and awkward location which basically cause one person to block the entire area for half the kitchen.

Based on the recommendation of GWers, I bought the Stages 45 sink so two people can work at the sink. I've also upgraded from a 36" rangetop to 48" Blue Star rangetop.

When my siblings visit (all the time), they were clustering around the island with laptops everywhere on a tiny section of counter (24").

Due to budget constraints, we had to scale down from a Blue Star range/oven to just the rangetop. I moved the existing double ovens to the end of the long L vs. the short end where it was originally next to the fridge area. My brother is concerned that now the oven is too far from the cooking area.

I designed the layout based on the food movement and just don't have any room to put the double ovens near the stove without running the aesthetics since our new 66" fridge area ate up the short end.


What other mistakes did I make? The island might be a bit too far from the stove. Next week, when I'm back from the hospital, I'll make templates from paper/cardboard and tape it down on the floors to test the layout.

I'm putting in an antique settee under the window so people can sit and chat with my mom in her wheelchair when she's hanging in the kitchen. The settee is low and small. When you are standing at the sink, you'll look out over the family room.

I'm still stumped on the blind corner a bit.

Thank you all for your help.

Comments (8)

  • 10 years ago

    Great large space.

    Just a few thoughts:

    1. I love my appliance garage.

    In case you're looking for ideas: Amanda's double-decker appliance garage


    2. Suggestion to add in a prep sink to the right of the cooktop, near the DO.

    Because I usually prep/cook between a sink and a cooktop. This way the main cook can prep there.

    While helpers are at the island.


    3. I don't see a problem w/ the oven at the end.

    My oven and cooktop are at opposite ends of the kitchen, because I mainly use the cooktop and DH uses the oven, so we're not in each other's way.

    The only time I wish they were closer is when some burns in the oven or something that requires the hood vent to be on. But I still run my vent and it gets the smell/smoke out fine.


    4. So don't forget to include a powerful hood vent for the honking 48" Bluestar.


    5. Just in case you might be interested:

    take a look at how often you go into your freezer.

    We have an all fridge, all freezer, and right now, our freezer is in another room.

    I'm in my fridge ALL THE TIME, but freezer, maybe 2-3 a day: to grab meat to defrost, and to get the kids' ice pack for their lunches.

    It's winter here and we hardly grab ice.

    So why give it such valuable real estate in the kitchen...

    If you just put a space for 36" future fridge, put the all-fridge there, then you can fit the DO between fridge and pantry.

    I would rather have the pantry near the window seat, more out of the way for people to grab stuff from there, like cereal or bread, snacks.



    just thoughts,

    good luck,

    Amanda

  • 10 years ago

    I agree that the ovens are fine where they are. I don't understand why they need to be near the cooktop. It's not like items in the oven are being constantly stirred or checked like on the cooktop. Even if you have something in there that needs closer watching, it's still close enough to the action, imho.

    I also agree that I would look for another location for the freezer, if it were my kitchen. What is near the kitchen? Is there a nearby place it can go for the few times a day most of us get into the freezer?

    The only thing I see that raises a red flag to me is that the DW and the dish storage drawers seem a bit far apart. Would you have enough room in the baking area to also store at least your most used dishes there instead?

    If you relocated the freezer elsewhere, then you could move the wall ovens by the fridge. This would allow you to move the baking center to the right and add some dish storage drawers across from the DW.


  • 10 years ago

    Prep sink or no, I think it's a bad idea to have the main sink directly across from the cooktop. You can have two people working at the sink at the same time, but they'll be butt-to-butt with the two people who can work at the 48" cooktop at the same time. If you insist on this configuration, then I'd definitely widen the aisle (for reference purposes, I have a 48" aisle now, and I still find it a little bit of a pain when someone wants to use the sink, and I'm at facing the island, and we're small people).

  • 10 years ago

    I like a lot of what you have drawn. Normally, I'm not crazy about a sink in the middle of an island, but since you are using the stages model, and since it looks like you have no windows along the range wall, this makes sense in your kitchen.

    One thing that I'd suggest is that you do a reach in pantry rather than springing for the lemans unit. If you do shallow shelves along the back, you'll have lots of room for food that won't get lost, and then deeper shelves on the end for larger items, it should work well. I'd put a pocket door on it so that it's never in the way of the people that are in the kitchen.

    I can tell you have put a lot of thought into this space! I like your spot for the settee for people visiting with your mom. I can see that getting used all the time. I'm not sure how much space she needs to wheel through, but I'd double check the distance from the corner of the island to the corner of the wall by the door to the garden. Does she cook alongside all of you? If so, it would be nice to include a section of lowered counter that she can work at, too. Or even a section of pull-out board at a comfortable height for her to wheel up and pull it out when she needs it, and then push it in when it's not being used.

    FYI, I test drove a Platinum 48" stove last year. The rangetop was awesome, but the oven was nothing to write home about. Doing a split configuration is the best of both worlds, imho.

  • 10 years ago

    How far is the island from the cooktop? I read the 83 there and assumed that meant an 83" aisle so no red flags. But now, in looking again at your diagram, it's obviously not that wide.

    After futzing around with a piece of furniture to simulate the peninsula we're adding in our remodel, we determined that we really need a good 54" aisle to feel comfortable. The peninsula will have clean-up sink and DW with sink and range back-to-back. We may even go with a bit wider aisle if the actual cabinetry allows it without crowding other spaces. I would not go with less.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Does your mom cook? Do you have children?

    I would make a few small changes, mainly moving the oven closer to the cooktop and putting the pantry on the other side. You can also include a narrow, pull-out pantry by the fridge.

    It would also be nice to add a prep sink in the corner and move the dishwasher. You don't need a big sink to rinse off dishes and it would double as a second prep area. Then you can prep on either side of the cooktop or on the island.

    And...I lowered the edge of the island (pull-out/roll-out storage underneath) so you have a baking area and/or a handicap accessible area. Now your mom can pull up to the island and help cook or just visit, as well as the settee.

    My husband was in a wheelchair (briefly) and it's so important to provide a place for this activity, even if she doesn't use it right now. She can...and someday your dad might need it, too. Or it's a great place to roll out dough or pull up a chair and use another laptop.

    Also, I meant to add...do you have any windows in this space, besides over the settee?

    A few ideas for corner sinks....they don't have to be round, just easier to draw :)


  • 10 years ago

    I like it! It is similar to my layout which I find very functional for multiple cooks. I also find it ideal to have my Stages 45 across from the range and I think yours will be even better with your large cooktop and separate ovens. Your idea to make templates is good. We used a table where we wanted our island and played around with the spacing. We chose 42" which works for us. Once our cabinets were here, we moved them around until the placement felt right for us. With as much daily traffic you have, 48" would be better. We find that patterns develop with multiple cooks and I think your setup will prevent cross traffic in the cooking aisle. I've had a cook on either side of the range and two prepping at the sink. Your vast expanse of counter on either side of the range allows for that.

    I think the ovens are in a good location right at the baking station with great landing space. I don't see a reason for them to be near the cooktop.

    Will you do two faucets? What type of pantry were you planning?

  • 10 years ago

    Funky it's 48".

    Lavender lass- my mom doesn't cook and we have no children. The window above settee is the only window.

    I don't have any place to put freezer other than where DO is.

    My thought was that you come in with grocery, put them away all in the short L area. M/W is directly across fridge for easy access.

    Bbtgix I plan on 2 faucets. I was thinkng of a pantry cabinet. Corner room pantry lost a lot storage space when I planned it out earlier with template. I also need an appliance garage as my dad has a rice cooker that he uses all day and my brother uses a juicer daily.